Khaleda,others committed offence: HC
![](https://tds-images.thedailystar.net/sites/default/files/styles/medium_205/public/feature/images/2021/05/09/khaleda.jpg)
The High Court has observed that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others accused in the Gatco corruption case have violated laws.
They committed offences of breaching trust and abetting crimes under sections 409/109 of the Penal Code and attempting to commit criminal misconduct under section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, observed the HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam in an order following a petition filed by directors of GATCO, a farming equipment trader.
On November 25, 2018, the bench delivered a short order. The full text of the order was released yesterday.
Directors Syed Galib Ahmed and Syed Tanveer Ahmed sought cancellation of the trial proceedings against them.
In the full text, the HC directed the lower court concerned to finish in six months the trial proceedings of the corruption case, filed against Khaleda and several others in 2007.
The HC bench also ordered Syed Galib Ahmed and Syed Tanveer Ahmed to surrender before the lower court in 15 days and asked the trial court to grant bail to them if they surrender.
The HC bench had also lifted the stay order issued in 2008 on the trial proceedings against Galib and Tanveer.
The HC said, "It transpires that though Gatco did not have any prior experience in handling containers, Gatco was shown as responsive and was recommended to be awarded with the contract by Technical Evaluation Committee in violation of clause 8.2.2(iii) of the tender. The Ministerial Committee recommended to float re-tender. The then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia being influenced by her younger son, accused Arafat Rahman (Koko), declined to accept the recommendation of the Ministerial Committee.
"Allegedly, the accused-petitioner No.1 Syed Galib Ahmed during enquiry admitted in his confessional statement that he paid Tk 2,19,45,091.00 to accused Ismail Hossain Saimon, son of Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Akbar Hossain, the then minister of shipping as a condition to be awarded with the said contract and allegedly, the accused-petitioner No.1 disclosed in confession that accused Ismail Hossain Saimon paid part of the said amount to accused Arafat Rahman (Koko) from time to time as demanded by the said accused Arafat Rahman (Koko) who is the younger son of the then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and thus the accused-petitioners and others committed offences under sections 409/109 of the Penal Code read with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947."
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on September 2, 2007 against Khaleda, Galib, Tanveer and 10 others, on charges of corruption in awarding the contract for container management at inland container depots in Dhaka and Chattogram to Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Co Ltd (Gatco), causing a loss of over Tk 1,000 crore to the state exchequer.
Lawyers Ajmalul Hossain and Ahsanul Karim appeared for Galib and Tanveer respectively, while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the ACC and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Comments